It would be great if the chapter were to offer classes in how to edit Wikipedia.  The chapter could charge a small fee (say, $50 for a ten-week session, with one class per week), and pay the instructor part of that (more an honorarium than real wages, if the fee is low and the class size is restricted, particularly if the chapter has to pay for the room).  Given how many people in the DC area have an interest in what is and could be on Wikipedia, I don't think we'd lack for students.

The chapter gets publicity from this; the instructor puts the material on the en.wikipedia.org website (to encourage similar efforts elsewhere); Wikipedia gets more editors.  And (in the best of worlds) we could even pay for someone to make a set of videos of the classes, to be posted on the web for free viewing. Plus we could offer the same course to institutions like the Smithsonian, to further expand our reach.

-- John

----- Original Message -----
From: "James Hare" <messedrocker@gmail.com>
To: wikimedia-dc@lists.wikimedia.org
Sent: Monday, June 6, 2011 7:49:14 AM
Subject: [Wikimedia-DC] What programs would you like to see in 2012?

Hello, community!

As the treasurer of our (pending) Wikimedia chapter, I have begun
preparing the budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. While next year we
have the Wikimania 2012 conference (and we are all excited for that!),
we can also plan other programs and events as a chapter. Not
everything has to be processed through the corporate infrastructure,
of course, but if your idea involves spending a lot of money, let me
know and I'll see what I can do to make it work. Conversely, if you
have ideas about fundraising, I would also like to hear them. This is
your opportunity to do something awesome in the D.C. community!

Sincerely,
James Hare

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